Part 10

There are many hadiths stating the great virtues of the prayer call, and indicating that prayer callers (i.e., muezzins) will have the longest necks of all people on the Day of Judgment’. Both the prayer call (adhdn) and the immediate prayer call (iqamah) are collective duties,’ and they are among the apparent Islamic rituals. They are decreed on men, residents or travelers, at each of the five prayer times. The town whose people abandon the prayer call and the immediate prayer call are to be fought, because they are among the manifest Islamic rituals, so it is impermissible to abandon them.

The basic characteristic of a prayer caller is to be a loud-voiced man, so as to be more convenient to call for prayer informing people at its due times. He has also to be an honest man, because he is considered to be an entrusted person, as his calling for prayer decides the times when people pray, fast, and break their fasting. A prayer caller has also to be acquainted with the due times of prayer to call for each prayer once its time is due.

The prayer call consists of fifteen sentences, as it used to be made by Bilal during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (PBUH). It is desirable to be deliberate while calling for prayer, without lengthening. It is also desirable

Chapter 2; Prayer Call (Adhan) and Immediate Prayer Call (/gamah) 95

to pause after pronouncing each sentence of the prayer call, and to face the qiblah while calling, inserting one’s index fingers into one’s ears. In addition, it is desirable, while calling for prayer, to turn to the right when saying, “Hayy ‘alas-Salah’, i.e. “Come to prayer,’ and to the left when saying, “Hayy ‘alalFalah”, i.e. “Come to success!” When calling for the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer, after saying “Hayy ‘alal-Falah” twice, it is desirable for the prayer caller to call saying, “As-Salatu Khayrun minan-Nawm’, i.e. “Prayer is better than sleep,” twice. That was commanded by the Prophet (PBUH),” as dawn is a time when people are often asleep. It is impermissible for the prayer caller to add any words to the original wording of the prayer call before or after calling, as this is considered to be a bid‘ah (i.e., a matter innovated in religion). Whatever is pronounced other than the wording of the prayer call approved of by Allah's Messenger (PBUH) is regarded as a prohibited and an innovated act in religion. For example, uttering words of tasbih,’ chanting, invoking Allah, or conferring Allah's peace and blessings upon the Prophet loudly before or after calling for prayer, all are nothing but bid’ ahs, These acts are prohibited, and one must express one’s disapproval of whoever follows any of them (while calling for prayer).

It is not right to call for a prayer before its due time, because the prayer call is to notify people of the exact time of prayer, but an early prayer call causes confusion instead. Still, it is permissible to call for the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer earlier than its due time, in order to allow people to get ready for prayer (in that late hour). But there must be another prayer call at the exact time of the Fajr Prayer, so as to acquaint people with the due time of prayer and fasting (as fasting starts from the Fajr).

When listening to the prayer call, it is an act of the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition) to repeat what the prayer caller is saying while calling. Also, when the prayer caller calls saying, “Hayy ‘alas-Salah” (Come to prayer) and “Hayy ‘alal-Falah” (Come to success), one is to say, “La Hawla wala Quwwata illa Billah,” i.e. “There is neither might nor power but in Allah.” Afterwards, when the prayer caller finishes calling for prayer, one is to say:

“O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of this established prayer, grant Muhammad the place of Al-Wasilah’ and the most virtuous place, and raise him to a praiseworthy position (in Paradise) that you have promised him (of).”

Following the prayer call, it is prohibited for one to leave the mosque without having a legal excuse or an intention to return soon. In addition, if one

is sitting while the prayer caller is calling for prayer, one should not stand, but one should rather be patient until the prayer caller finishes calling so as not to resemble Satan (who flees when hearing the prayer call). Once a Muslim hears the prayer call, he has to head for the mosque (to offer prayer), leaving all worldly affairs. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“[Such niches are] in houses f[i.e. mosques] which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His Name be mentioned [i.e. praised] therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings - fare] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of Zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about...” (Qur'an: An-Nir: 36-37)

The immediate prayer call is in eleven sentences that are uttered quickly. There is no need to be slow in pronouncing them because they are merely addressed for those already present for prayers. It is preferable that the person who calls for prayer is the same one who undertakes the immediate prayer call. He should only perform the latter by permission of the imdm (i.e., leader in prayer) who is the one who determines the commencement of the prayer.

1 Aba Dawid (499) [1/241], Al-Tirmidhi (189) [1/358] and Tbn Majah (706) [1/389]; see also Muslim (835) [2/298].

2 Saying, ‘Ashhadu alla ildha illallah (twice). Ashhadu anna Muhammadar-Rastlulléh (tvice),ie. “T testify that there is no deity but Allah (twice). I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (twice).”

6 Collective duty: A religious duty which if sufficiently fulfilled by some Muslims, the rest will not be accountable for it as an obligation, and it becomes an act of the Sunnah for them

7 Abd Dawiid (500) [1/242], An-Nasa’i (632) [1/334], Al-Tirmidhi (198) [1/378] and Ibn Majah (715) [1/396].

9 Al-Wasilah: It is the greatest and the most superior degree in Paradise reserved for only one of Allah's servants, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) hopes to be that one. So, he (PBUH) asks everyone of his nation to pray to Allah following each prayer call (adhdn) to grant him that place, Al-Wasilah.

The conditions of prayer are those on which the validity of prayer depends so long as one is able to fulfill them. Prayer has certain conditions if they, or any of them, are neglected, prayer is nullified. Among those conditions are the following:

The first condition: To be performed at its specified times; Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.” (Qur'an: An-Nis@: 103)

That is to say, prayer is decreed to be performed at certain times specified by Allah, Glorified be He. Thus, Muslim scholars uniformly agree that prayer has five specified times and it is insufficient to perform a prayer before its due time. The Commander of the Believers, ‘Umar Ibnul-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Prayer has specified times stipulated by Allah, without observing which prayer is invalid.”

So, prayer is obligatory on a Muslim once its due time begins, for Allah, Exalted be He, says: “Establish prayer at the decline of the sun...” (Qur'an: Al-Isra’: 78) Moreover, scholars uniformly agree on the great virtues of performing

prayer at its specified times in general according to the verse in which Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“..»S0 race to [all that is] good...” (Qur'an: Al-Baqarah: 148) Allah, Exalted be He, also says: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord...” (Qur'an: Alu ‘Imran: 133) Furthermore, Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“And the foremost, the foremost. Those are the ones brought near [to Allah].” (Qur'an: Al-Waqi' ah: 10-11)

In addition, it is related in the Two Sahihs that when the Prophet (PBUH) was asked about the dearest deed in the Sight of Allah, he replied:

“Performing prayers at their specified times.” Further, Allah, Exalted be He, says:

And performing prayer at its specified times is a sign of such care enjoined by Allah,

The obligatory prayers are five ones to be performed daily, and each has a due time of performance specified by Allah so that it suits the life conditions of His servants; that is, times of prayer are specified in a way that does not hinder people from managing their worldly affairs, but helps them manage such affairs. In addition, prayer is a way through which people's sins are forgiven; the Prophet (PBUH) has likened prayer to a river in which a Muslim takes a bath five times a day, so no trace of dirt would be left on him’.

1The Zuhr (Noon) Prayer: Its specified time begins when the sun passes its meridian and declines westward, and this is what is indicated in the verse in which Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Establish prayer at the decline of the sun...” (Qur'an: Al-Isra’: 78)

Such a decline of the sun is known when the shadow of an object becomes eastward instead of westward, and this specified time for the Zuhr (Noon) Prayer continues until an object’s shadow becomes approximately the same in length as the object itself and ends at this time, for the Prophet (PBUH) said, as related by Imam Muslim:

“The time of the Zuhr (Noon) Prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man’s shadow is the same (length) as his height.”

It is desirable to hasten performing the Zuhr Prayer at the beginning of its specified time unless it is extremely hot, in which case it is desirable to delay performing it until it is cooler, as the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“In a very hot weather, delay the Zuhr Prayer until it becomes (a bit) cooler, because the severity of heat is from the raging of the Hell-fire.”*

2The ‘Asr (Afternoon) Prayer: It begins when the time of the Zuhr

(Noon) Prayer ends, i.e. when the shadow of an object is of the same length as the object itself, and continues until the sun sets according to the valid of the two juristic opinions in this regard. It is an act of the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition) to hasten performing the ‘Asr Prayer at the beginning of its due time, as it is the Middle Prayer whose virtues are stated by Allah, Exalted be, when He says:

“Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle [i.e. ‘Asr] prayer...” (Qur’in: Al-Bagarah: 238)

It is also stated in the Sunnah that it is the ‘Asr (Afternoon) Prayer’.

The Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer: The time of the Maghrib Prayer begins when the sun sets; i.e. when it completely disappears so that it can by no means be seen, neither from a plane hill nor a mountain. The time of the sunset is known by the coming of the darkness of night from eastward; the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When night falls from this side and the day vanishes from that side and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast."

The time of the Maghrib Prayer lasts until the red twilight ends, and it is an act of the Sunnah to hasten performing the Maghrib at the beginning of its due time, according to the hadith related and

deemed sahih (i.e. authentic) by Al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Salamah, which states that the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer when the sun disappeared from the horizon’. Al-Tirmidhi commented, “This is also the opinion of most of the people of religious knowledge of the Prophet's Companions and their followers.”

4The ‘Isha’ (Night) Prayer: The time specified for this prayer begins when the time of the Maghrib Prayer (i.e. the time during which it is performed) ends. Thus, the time of the ‘Isha’ Prayer begins when the red twilight disappears and continues up to half of the night. This time is divided into two parts; an optional time and an obligatory time. The optional time continues until the third of the night, and the obligatory time begins from the third of the night until the second (real) dawn. It is desirable to delay performing the ‘Isha’ Prayer until the end of the preferred time for it, which is the third of the night, if possible. Yet, if this might cause difficulty to the Muslims, it is then desirable to hasten performing it at the beginning of its due time so as to avoid difficulty. On the other hand, it is detestable to sleep before the ‘Isha’ Prayer so as not to oversleep and miss it. Moreover, it is detestable for people to gather and chat following performing the ‘Isha’ Prayer so that they can sleep early and get up early. So, a Muslim should sleep following performing the ‘Isha’ Prayer so as to be able to get up early and offer Tahajjud® and then the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer actively, as the Prophet (PBUH) disliked sleeping before the ‘Isha’ Prayer and talking after (performing) it’. Thus, it is detestable to stay up after the ‘Isha’ unless one has something useful or urgent to do.

5The Fajr (Dawn) Prayer: The time of the Fajr Prayer begins with the true dawn and lasts until sunrise, and it is desirable to hasten performing it provided that the rise of the true dawn is certain.

These are the specified times of the five obligatory prayers decreed by Allah, so you should, gentle Muslim reader, perform them at their specified times without delay, for Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“So woe to those who pray - [but] who are heedless of their prayer.” (Qur'an: Al-Ma* fin: 4-5)

That is, woe to those who perform prayer but delay it and do not perform it at its specified times. Allah, Exalted be He, also says:

“But there came after them successors [i.e. later generations] who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil - except those who repent...” (Qur'an: Maryam: 59-60)

The phrase “neglected prayer” in the above verse means that those people used to neglect observing prayer at its specified times. In brief, Allah refers to those who do not perform prayer at its due times as “heedless” people who “neglect” prayer, and He states that such people will be severely tortured in the Hellfire and that “.. they are going to meet evil.” If one forgets performing one of the five obligatory prayers or misses it out of oversleeping, one has to perform it once one remembers or gets up; the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“If anyone forgets a prayer or misses it because of sleeping, he should perform it when he remembers it; there is no other expiation for it.”

Thus, it is obligatory to make up for a missed prayer as soon as possible. One should by no means wait to perform a missed prayer with the same prayer on the following day, as mistakenly done by some people. Also, one should not put off performing a missed prayer until such time when its regular time is overdue, but one has to perform it immediately instead.

The second condition (of prayer): To conceal one’s ‘awrah'" while performing prayer, i.e. to screen the parts of the body that have to be covered, as exposing them is offensive or causes one embarrassment; Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e. wear your cloth-

ing] at every masjid...” (Qur'an: Al-A‘ raf: 31) “Masjid” means a place for prayer or a mosque, so the meaning of the verse is that people have to wear their clothing that conceal their private parts upon

each prayer. Moreover, in the hadith related and deemed hasan (good) by AtTirmidhi, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

‘Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a veil."

“Scholars unifornily agree on the invalidity of the prayer of one who refrains from clothing, and performs it naked though able to clothe oneself and conceal one’s ‘awrah.”

So, it is indisputable that it is obligatory to conceal one's ‘awrah during prayer, in the presence of people, or even while being alone according to the valid opinion implied in the hadith narrated on the authority of Mu‘ awiyah Ibn Haydah Al-Qushayri who reported:

parts) except from your wife and from whom your right hands possess (i.e. slave-girls). I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What (should we do) if the people are assembled together?’ He (PBUH) said, ‘If it is within your power that no one looks at it (i.e. your ‘awrah), then let no one look at it. I then said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What if one is alone (i.e. should one conceal it too)?’ He (PBUH) replied, ‘Allah is more entitled to be shown bashfulness than people. ”